Last week the sanctuary world lost a true jewel with the sudden passing of Dr. Carole Noon, founder of Save the Chimps and an outspoken advocate against the use of primates in medical testing and entertainment.
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Dr. Noon was an extraordinary person whose commitment to chimpanzees knew no bounds. Without her, I think captive chimpanzees used by the government would be living very different lives; or would not be alive at all. She was a person who could clearly see, and believe in, “possibilities” and thanks to this vision, hundreds of lives have been saved and hundreds of individuals have been released from the special kinds of misery we humans have inflicted on them.
I did not have the pleasure of personally knowing Dr. Noon, though many of my friends and colleagues did, and all I can hope is that her tenacity and focus wear off on new generations of advocates. I couldn’t put it better than my colleague, Tim Ajax, Director of Born Free USA’s own primate sanctuary:
“Carole was animated, concerned and wholly engaged in the process of undoing years of profound damage done to the animals there. We truly lost someone special who demonstrated just how much can be accomplished when compassion and conviction are put into action.”
Here’s to Dr. Noon and everyone on the front lines in the battle for compassion.
Zibby